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(No Model.) 4Sheets-Sheet 1. O. P. BRIGGS & W. R. PATTERSON.

SIGN ADVERTISING MACHINE.

No. 531,018. Patented Dec. 18,1894.

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SIGN ADVERTISING MACHINE.

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WZ/zww- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ORLANDO P. BRIGGS AND WILLIAM R. PATTERSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

ASSIGNORS TO THE INESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SIGN-ADVERTISING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 531,018, dated December18. 1894,

Application filed January 26, 1894:- Serial No. 498,128- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ORLANDO P. BRIGGS and WILLIAM R. PATTERSON,citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Sign-Advertising Machines, (Briggs Case No. 9 andPattersons Case No. 100,) of which the following is a full, clear,concise, and ex- [0 act description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to sign advertising machines, and its object is toprovide means for automatically lighting and extinguishing electriclamps arranged to produce a scenic effect, and more particularly tocause the successive lighting and extinguishment of incandescent lampsarranged to form certain words or characters; and further, to provide apointer which shall trace the progress of the lighting or extinguishmentof the lamps.

Our invention comprises a number of incandescent lamps arranged in theform of the 2 5 desired characters or words, and connected respectivelywith switches adapted to be properly actuated by a moving part of themachine to accomplish the lighting and extinguishment of the lamps inthe proper sequence.-

Our invention consists, further, in a pointer or index adapted toautomatically trace the characters or words as they are formed by thesuccessive illumination of the several 5 lamps.

Our invention consists, further, in such other features as willhereinafter be set forth.

In the preferred embodiment of our invention, we arrange the lamps upona skeleton frame Work, connecting the lamps respectively with switchesby means of which they may belighted or extinguished, and provide apointer or indicator behind the skeleton frame work which travels backand forth 5 tracing out the characters or letters forming the sign inthe progress of their illumination, thus presenting the illusion thatthe pointer effects the lighting of the lamps. The

switches which control the individual lamps comprise each a rod mountedto move longitudinally and carrying a contact making element adapted inone position of the rod to make contact with a stationary contact makingelement. These switches are arranged in a row with the rods parallelbetween a pair of parallel plates to which the rods are perpendicular,holes being provided in both plates through which the ends of theswitchrods extend according as they are at one end of their stroke orthe other. A traveling member is provided carrying two rollers, onebearing upon the surface of each plate, the rollers being placed one inadvance of the other so that when the roller-supporting member travelsin one direction one of the rollers engages with the protruding ends ofthe switch rods to move them longitudinally to open or close theswitches, as the case may be, and to cause their opposite ends toprotrude from the opposite plate. Upon the return travel of theroller-supporting member the now protruding ends of the switch rods areengaged by the second roller and moved longitudinally to their originalpositions, and the operation is thus repeated. As the switch rods aresuccessively engaged by the rollers the lamps are successively lightedand extinguished, and as the tracing pointer follows the illumination itappears to write the characters. To secure the tracing movement of thepointer, the same is mounted at one end upon a horizontal axis whichpermits its movement in a vertical plane, the support upon which it ismounted being capable of a rotation about a vertical axis, a verticaland a horizontal movement of the pointer being thus provided which, whencombined in the proper degree, causes the pointer to trace the desiredcharacters.

\Ve will describe our invention more in detail in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front view of the machineshowing the lamps arranged to form certain letters. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of one of the switches. Fig. 3 is a front view thereof. Fig.at is a sectional view on line 44, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a side view ofmachine shown partially in section. Fig. 6 is an end view of the machinepartially in section, but one of the switches being shown in position.Fig. 7 isa detached view showing the location of the belt I) engageswith loose pulley a tracing pointer relatively to the lamps. Fig. 8 is aview of the pointer actuating mechanism removed from the supporting arm.Fig. 9 is a view thereof as seen from the rear of the machine. Fig. 10is a sectional view on line 10-10, Fig. 8. Fig. 11 is a sectional viewon line 1111, Fig. 8. Fig. 12 is a sectional view on line 1212, Fig. 6.Fig. 13 is a sectional view on line 1313, Fig. 6. Fig. 14 is adiagrammatic view illustrating the connection between the switches andthe lamps.

Like letters refer to like parts throughout the several figures.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 5 and 6, a screw a is providedwhich is driven alternately in opposite directions through the agency ofthe pulleys a, a a the pulleys a and a being keyed to the screw or,while the pulley a is loosely mounted thereon. Belts Z) Z) are driven inopposite directions as indicated by the arrows, the belt Z) beingillustrated as engaging with pulley a, while the \Vheu thus engaging thescrew Ct is rotated in aleft hand direction, and being a left hand screwcauses the carriage 0 provided with a bore fitting the thread thereof totravel to the right. Carried upon the carriage c is a collar 0 whichslides upon a rod (Z supported above the carriage in bearings d 0Z inwhich it is longitudinally movable. Said rod cZ carries collars (Z dfixed thereon with which said collar c engages at the ends of its stroketo move said rod cZ longitudinally. The rod (Z carries pins (Z (Z orother proper parts, for engaging the belts to shift them from one pulleyto another. As shown in Fig. 5 the carriage c is traveling to the right.\Vhen the collar 0 engages with the collar d the rod (Z will be moved tothe right to shift the belt I) onto the loose pulley a and theoppositely driven belt 1) onto the pulley a the direction of rotation ofthe screw to being thus reversed to cause the carriage c to travel tothe left. When in the travel to the left collar 0' engages with collar(Z the belts will be again shifted to reverse the travel of thecarriage.

Upon the carriage c is provided an arm 0 which supports the mechanismfor actuating the tracing pointer, which will be hereinafter described.The carriage 0 also carries an arm or bracket h which supports therollers 72 77.2. The said rollers are adapted to travel upon thesurfaces respectively of two parallel plates 7c which may compriseportions of an angle bar secured to the frame of the machine by a seriesof bolts 70 7s. Between the said plates are located the switches whichcomprise each a rod Z adapted, when in one position, to project from thesurface of plate it, and in the other position from the surface of platek The switch rods may be arranged in a single row, or, where morenumerous, in diagonal rows. A spring Z rests by its end in a notch Z insaid rod when the rod is in one position. Above this notch is aninclined surface Z against which the end of said spring Z bears,

when the rod has been moved a sufficient distance, for the purpose ofimparting to the rod a quick movement for the purpose hereinafterdescribed. Upon the rod Z and insulated therefrom is carried a switchblade Z which in one position of rod Z engages a pair of contact fingersZ Z The end of the blade is tapered so that the contact fingers pressingagainst the tapering surfaces as the blade is moved from between thecontact fingers tend to impart a rapid movement to the blade to effect aquick separation to prevent sparking. The end of spring Z bearing atthis time against the oblique surface Z assists to impart to the rod Z arapid movement, and, further, the rod moving downward in opening theswitch the weight of the rod further augments the rapidity of themovement, the several instrumentalities thus co-operating to effeet arapid opening of the circuit to reduce sparking.

The operation of the rollers in actuating the switches may be bestunderstood by reference to Fig. 14. lVhen the machine is not inoperation the carriage is to the right. Upon starting the machine thecarriage travels to the left and the switches being open the rods Zproject from the lower plate. As the lower roller h travels along, itthrusts the rods upward successively closing the switches and lightingthe lamps. placed in advance of roller 7L2 so that any rod is not movedupward by the lower roller until the upper roller has passed beyond it.When the carriage has reached the leftward extremity of its travel theswitches are all closed, the lights all illuminated and the rods Z allproject from the upper plate. Through the instrumentality of the collar0 the travel of carriage c is now reversed and the upper roller 72,engages with and successively thrusts downward the rods Z, opening theswitches and successively extinguishing the lamps, the lower roller 71now traveling in advance of roller 7t so as to be out of the way of theupwardly driven rods Z. The roller merely serves to move the rod Z tothat point where the spring Z engages with oblique surface Z the severalinstrumentalities before enumerated at this time co-operating to give tothe rod an independent and rapid movement to prevent sparking. Thecarriage having reached the limit of its rightward travel the carriageis again automatically reversed and the operation is repeated.

Referring now to the tracing pointer and the mechanism actuatingthesame, the pointer m is mounted upon a horizontal pivot or axis m whichpermits its movement in a vertical plane. To the pointer are secured apair of gear wheels or pinionsnn, one upon each side, adapted to beengaged respectively by racks n n which are moved vertically to impartto said pointer a rotation about said axis m. The racks n it are mountedupon or form part of a bar M, which slides vertically in a channel 0 inthe shaft 0 supported in bear The upper roller 7b is ings and rotatableabout a vertical axis. The bar n is provided with a lateral projectionor tongue n which engages a channel p in a piece 13 secured to orforming part of the vertically movable bar 0*. The upper end of said bar7 forms a journal to guide the bar in its vertical movement, while atits lower end is journaled a cam roller 0" which engages a properlyformed groove in a cam plate .9, Fig. 0. The lower end of bar 0 is of aT shaped cross section (see Figs. 12 and 13), and is adapted to move inthe T shaped hearing if in the arm 25. The shaft 0' works in hearing 25As the carriage travels back and forth the cam roller r following thegroove in plate sis raised and lowered, thus raising and lowering thebar 0 and with it, through the engagement of the projection n with thechannel 19, raising the bar n carrying the racks n n, thus rotating thepinions n n and cansing the movement of the tracing pointer m upon thehorizontal axis m.

Upon the lower end of the shaft- 0 is secured a crank arm 0 carrying acam roller 0 which follows a properly formed groove provided in theplate 8, Fig. (5. As the carriage travels to and fro the roller 0 ismoved back and forth to impart to the shaft 0 the required rotation, andas the pivot on upon which the tracing pointer is pivoted is fixedlysecured to the upper end of the shaft 0, the proper movement of thepointer about a vertical axis is thus secured. The channel 19 engaged bythe projection n is of an arc-shape, as shown most clearly in Fig. 11,to permit the rotation of shaft 0 relatively to bar r. The bars 0* and nare movable relatively to the shaft 0 through the agency of the slot 0in said shaft in which the bar 41 is longitudinally movable. As shown inFig. 10 the upper end of shaft 0 terminates in a rectangular portion 0to the sides of which the plates 0 0 are secured by bolts 0 0 whichplates support the pivot m of the tracing pointer. A bolt 0 passesthrough the plates back of the racks to properly maintain the plates inposition.

From the above description the operation of the mechanism is readilyunderstood. As the carriage travels back and forth the roller .9 impartsto the shaft 0 a rotative movement which affects the horizontalcomponent of the movement of the tracing pointer while the roller 3operates the tracks to impart to the pointer the necessary movement toeffect the vertical component of its travel.

Having described our invention, What we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with lamps arranged to form words or characters andadapted to be successively lighted, of an automatically actuated pointeradapted to trace said words or characters as the lamps are lighted,substantially as described.

2. The combination with lamps arranged to form words or characters, ofswitches adapted to be actuated to successively illumine said lamps, andan automatically actuated pointer adapted to trace said words orcharacters as the lamps are lighted, substantially as described.

3. The combination with lamps arranged to form words or characters, ofswitches for controlling the circuits through the respective lamps, anautomatically actuated part of the machine adapted to successivelyactuate said switches, and an automatically actuated pointer adapted totrace the progress of the illumination or extinguishment of the lamps,substantially as described.

4. The combination with the switches comprised in part by thelongitudinally movable rods, of the plates through which the rods areadapted to alternately extend, and the traveling rollers adapted tosuccessively engage the rods to move the same longitudinally to open orclose the switches, substantially as described.

5. The combinatton with the switches comprised in part by thelongitudinally movable rods, of the plates through which the rods areadapted to alternately extend, and the traveling rollers placed one inadvance of the other, the rearward roller being adapted to successivelyengage the rods to move the same longi tudinally to open or close theswitches, sub stantially as described.

6. The combination with the traveling carriage, of the rotating screwadapted to impel the same, the switch actuating rollers carried by saidcarriage, and means for reversing the movement of said carriage,substantially as described.

7. The combination with a shaft adapted to rotate about avertical axis,of a bar movable longitudinally thereto and carrying a rack, a pivotedmember supported upon said shaft and adapted to rotate about ahorizontal axis, and a pinion connected with said pivoted member andadapted to engage said rack, substantially as described.

8. The combination with a shaft adapted to rotate about a vertical axis,of a bar movable longitudinally thereto and carrying a rack, a pivotedmember supported upon said shaft and adapted to rotate about ahorizontal axis, and a pinion connected with said pivoted member andadapted to engage said rack, a cam roller connected with said shaft andadapted to reciprocate the same, and a cam roller connected with saidbar and adapted to move the same back and forth longitudinally,substantially as described.

9. The combination with a pivoted member, of a cam channel, a cam rollerengaging the same to impart to the pivoted member rotation about anaxis, of a second cam channel and a cam roller engaging the same toimpart to said pivoted member rotation about an axis perpendicular tosaid first mentioned axis, substantially as described.

10. The combination with lamps arranged to form words or characters andadapted to be successively lighted, of a pivoted pointer adapted to besimultaneously rotated about two axes at right angles to one another totrace said words or characters as the lamps are lighted, substantiallyas described.

11. The combination with lamps arranged to form Words or characters, ofswitches adapted to be actuated to successively illumine or extinguishthe lamps, a pivoted pointer adapted to be simultaneously rotated abouttwo axes at right angles to one another to trace said words orcharacters as the lamps are lighted or extinguished, substantially asdescribed.

12. The combination with the shaft 0, adapted to be rotated by the camroller 0 of the longitudinally movable rack bar 47, adapted to bereciprocated by the cam roller, a", substantially as described.

13. The combination with the rotatable shaft 0 carrying the pivotedpointer, of the longitudinally movable rack bar M, the longitudinallymovable bar rand the connection between said bars a and r permittingrelative rotation but constraining relative longitudinal movement,substantially as described.

14. The combination with the rotatable shaft 0 actuated by cam roller 0the pointer m pivoted to the upper end thereof, the longitudinallymovable rack bar n adapted to rotate said pointer, and provided withtongue a the longitudinally movable bar 9, carrying the arc-shapedchannel 19' engaged by said tongue, said bar 7' adapted to be actuatedby cam roller 0 substantially as described.

15. The combination with a longitudinally movable rod, of a springbearing by its end thereon, said rod being provided with a notch inwhich said end is adapted to rest, and an inclined surface adapted to beengaged by the end of said spring when the same is moved out of saidnotch, a contact point provided with a tapering end, contact fingersadapted to make contact with said tapering end, said rod being situatedto move downward when the same is moved to open the switch, whereby theweight of the rod and the oblique surfaces coact to give the rod a rapidmotion, substantially as described.

In witness whereof we hereunto subscribe our names this 26th day ofDecember, A. D. 1893.

ORLANDO P. BRIGGS. NILLIAM R. PATTERSON.

Witnesses:

W. CLYDE J ONES, HARRIET G. TEMPLETON.

